10 Gadgets for Your Next Road Trip

Using a handheld cell phone while driving is illegal in numerous states and the District of Columbia. If you must take calls on the road, the answer is a hands-free system based on Bluetooth technology. Bluetooth allows your phone to communicate with a wireless headset and microphone. You can make and receive calls and never have to fumble with the phone. Advanced models can even read text messages to you or let you know the status of the phone's battery via voice prompts.

Bluetooth can also send signals to full stereo headphones, giving you better sound quality and letting you play music as well as. You should not use headphones while driving. Yet another alternative is a Bluetooth speaker phone, which fits onto your dashboard and lets you or a passenger make hands-free calls.

Try out the device before you decide. Make sure the earbud is comfortable or that the speaker is designed to be heard in an environment like your car's interior.